Traveling Soldier
by StoryDreamer25
Summary: This is an AU One Shot about Niklaus Mikaelson & Caroline Forbes. It is set in 1967 during the middle of The Vietnam War.


_**Fandom:**_ The Vampire Diaries AU

_**Couple:**_ Niklaus Mikaelson && Caroline Forbes

_**Rating:**_ PG-13

_**Type:**_ One Shot

_**Words:**_1,388

It was the year Nineteen Sixty Seven and Caroline Forbes smiled as she refilled a customer's cup with coffee. Her blond hair was pulled back by a white bow in her curls that seemed to tumble down her back. She was wearing a black almost knee length skirt, a white button up shirt tucked into it, black mary jane shoes, and a black apron tied around her waist. She heard the doorbell jingle and she looked up and saw a man walk in with short blond hair and dressed to the nines in his army green. She smiled genuinely and walked with him over to a booth where he sat down and gave her a shy smile. She guessed that he couldn't be more than eighteen, where she was only a day over seventeen. She saw him stay quiet and she gave him a smile hoping it would cause him to talk. Usually her smiles tended to warm even the iciest of hearts in these times of war.

She went and grabbed a cup of coffee and set the steaming beverage down in front of him and noticed he looked at her and now she could see his eyes which were quite captivating. "Would you mind sitting down for a while and talking to me? I'm feeling a little low..." Niklaus asked of the pretty girl with the bow in her hair and Caroline couldn't seem to help but smile at his question. She stepped so her one hand rested on the table as she spoke and she thought for a minute knowing where they could go to talk. "I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go.. If you want to wait..." Niklaus just smiled at her and nodded sipping at his coffee. "Of course I'll wait, it's not everyday I meet beautiful girls such as yourself.."

Caroline only felt her cheeks heat up and she went back to her work and she grabbed her coat when she was done walking back over to the army man and smiled when he held the door open and she walked out with him next to her. She walked with him the short distance to the pier which sat a bit low in the water and she slipped her shoes off and dipped her toes in the water swinging her legs back and forth causing the water to ripple. She looked at him as he sat down beside her smiling. "I bet you got a boyfriend, but I don't care. I got no one to send a letter to, would you mind if I sent one back here to you?" Caroline could help but giggle at the notion of her having a boyfriend.

She did a year ago, but he was more interested in another girl so they departed ways. "I don't have a boyfriend, so yes receiving a letter from you would be nice. My father is in the Army but I've never received a letter from him yet so I've kind of given up on the notion. But to have a letter coming from you would be nice. When do you leave for the camp in California?" She looked at him wondering and for some reason her father refused to come home and just preferred to stay in the camps. She knew her parents had divorced when she was five but that didn't mean she didn't want to see her father. Niklaus smiled softly at her and moved closer before answering the pretty girl with the bow in her hair. "I leave tomorrow... Before I take my departure might I know the name of the pretty girl I'm going to be writing to? I am Niklaus Mikaelson, but you may call me Nik or Klaus, whatever your heart desires."

Caroline just smiled and nodded moving closer to him as well and her hand came and rested on top of his, her fingers coming to lace in between his and she looked at him to see if he was okay with this. In turn, he simply flipped his hand over and held her hand properly. Caroline smiled knowing he was being genuine and knew he wouldn't hurt her. "My name is Caroline Forbes.. You can call me Care..." Niklaus just smiled and his other hand came to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing over it softly and Caroline leaned into his hand looking at him. Nik leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss which Caroline responded and returned. She pulled away tears in her eyes as she looked at him crying softly as she spoke her next words. "I'm never gonna hold the hand of another guy..."

He just smiled and wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead before he stood up holding a hand out to help her up. They departed ways and she ran into a couple of her friends on the way home. "Caroline we saw who you were with. We think you're too young for him to be waiting for the love of a traveling soldier.." Elena looked at her friend concerned holding the hand of her finacee Damon. "That's not for you to decide Elena.. I'm not young anymore and I can make my own decisions..." With that she turned and went back to her home and went up to her bedroom and looked out the window at the starry night sky before she prayed her nightly prayers.

"Our love will never end Nik... I'll be here waiting for the soldier to come back again..." With that she crawled into her bed to sleep and fell asleep rather quickly dreaming dreams of her special army man she had met. She received letters on an almost daily basis from him and they came from an army camp in California at first and then from the camp in Vietnam a month later. Her letters that were once coming on a daily basis soon dwindled down to once a week and it began to worry her. She wrote him back constantly telling him how worried she was for him. His most recent letter told her of his heart and how it might be love and all the things he was so scared of.

He also wrote that when it was getting kind of rough over there he remembered the day that they sat on the pier and shared their first but certainly not last kiss. He would close his eyes and her pretty smile would flit into his head and he told her not to worry but he wouldn't be able to write for a while. Upon reading that, Caroline fell onto her bed sobbing softly crying that she would never hold the hand of another guy. Too young for him they told her, waiting for the love of a traveling soldier. Their love would never end waiting for the soldier to come back again, never more to be alone when a letter said a soldier's coming home.

A few years later, Caroline dressed in an all black dress, black flats, and a black bow in her hair. She and her mother went to the field where they were having a service. She went stood near the bleachers and heard the Lord's prayer said and the anthem sang. A man said, "Folks would you please bow your head for a list of local Vietnam dead..." Everyone including Caroline did so, and Caroline prayed hard and fast that the name Niklaus Mikaelson would never be read. instead the name read was a familiar one, but only to Caroline. She looked up tears running down her face as the name read was William Forbes.

She turned around and gasped seeing Niklaus standing there with a smile on his face and held his arms open for her. Caroline ran into them immediately seeking comfort which he would give her no matter what. In between sobs she told him that she would never hold the hand of another guy and she would wait for him forever if that's what it took. Niklaus whisked her away to his home and they went upstairs where they announced their complete and absolute love for each other and sealed the deal with him being caring and gentle as she gave him her last shred of innocence.


End file.
